Washington – Nearly all construction workers will have at least one work-related injury in their lifetime and have a greater risk of dying prematurely, concludes new research from the Center for Construction Research and Training, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

Researchers conducted the study by using multiple years of data from national sources, including the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Over a 45-year career, a construction worker has a 75 percent likelihood of experiencing a disabling injury and a 1-in-200 chance of being fatally injured on the job, according to data presented Oct. 31 by CCRT researchers at the American Public Health Association’s 139th Annual Meeting.

An individual who begins construction work at 20 years old and survives until the age of 85 has a 15 percent chance of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and an 11 percent chance of developing dust-related parenchymal chest X-ray changes, the researchers concluded.